Safety device for steam shovels



L. TROWER. SAFETY DEVIQE FOR STEAM SH'OVELS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-21,1922- Patented Nov. 28, 1922.

Patented Nov, 28, 1922.

LEE TROWER, OF WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR STEAM SHOVELS.

Application filed January 21, 1922. Serial No. 530,889.

To allwhom. it may concern Be it known that I, Lnn TROWER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of 1L kinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Safety Devices for Steam Shovels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to a safety-device for steam-shovels or other machines where a device of this character may be employed to equal advantage.

In the operation of steam-shovels great danger to the shovel-operator and craneman is always present, due to the liability of the breaking of the hoisting-chain, which, in the operation of the shovel, is driven at a high rate of speed, and if it parts at any point the chain is thrown back toward the platform on which the shovel-operator and craneman stand with great velocity, and only recently applicant has had personal experience with a case where a cranemans skull was fractured and other injuries received, due to the breaking of the hoistingchain.

The object of my invention therefore is to provide means for protecting the shoveloperator and craneman from danger due to the breaking of the hoisting-chain, and to accomplish this by a device which may be applied to steam-shovels already in use, and which does not in any way interfere with the operation of same.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 is a vertical side elevation of a portion of a common formof a steam-shovel showing my invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail of one end of the hoistingchain guard; Fig. 3 is an'enlarged section on the line 3-3, Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged section on the line 4-, Fig. 1.

In the drawing the numeral 2 indicates a portion of a customary car or truck on which the steam-shovel, engine and other parts are mounted.

The ordinary boom 3 has the housings 4 and 5 at its outer and inner end, respectively, said housings forming the supports for the sheaves 6 and 7 over which the hoistingchain 8 passes. This hoisting-chain passes around the pulley .9 in the pulley-block 10, and over the sheave 11 at the extreme outer end of the boom 3 and is connected at its free end to said pulley-block 10 from which connection is made to the shovel 12 in the ordinary way.

The shovel-beam 13 is connected to the shovel 12 and passes between the boom 3, but as this forms no part of my invention it has not been deemed necessary to illustrate the same other than diagrammatically.

The chain-guard 14 may be of any suitable construction, that shown consisting of a tube of proper diameter flattened at opposite points, as at 15, said tube being supported by the frames 16 connected to the housings 4t and 5, said frames being made up of suitable angle-irons riveted together. The guard 14 is cut away as at 17 at each end, said cut-away portion coming over the sheaves 6 and 7 so as not to interfere with the operation of said sheaves.

As stated above, the guard may be of any construction which will prevent the chain from flying back in case it breaks, and said guard might consists of a skeleton frame "made up of angles or other shapes riveted together.

In case the hoisting-chain in operation should break between the sheaves 6 and 7 it will be apparent that the chain will be held confined by the guard 14: so that it cannot fly back toward the operator or craneman on the car 2. a

A vertical guard 18 is mounted on the car below the sheave? so that the chain cannot fly back between the sheave 7 and the floor of the car. In this manner a guard is provided for the entire length of the chain between the sheave 6 and the platform, and there is no possibility in case the chain should break of its being able to reach the shovel-operator or craneman, so that fatal or serious accidents are eliminated.

That I claim is:

1. In a steam-shovel, the combination with the boom, the sheaves at or adjacent the ends thereof, and the hoisting chain passing over said sheaves, of a guard on the chain extending from one sheave to the other.

2. In a steam-shovel, the combination with the boom, the sheaves at or adjacent the ends thereof and the hoisting chain passing over sheave to the other, and cut-away portions said sheaves, oi a tubular guard extending at the ends of said guard over said sheaves. 10

from one sheave to the other. In testimony whereof I, the said LEE 3. In a steam-shovel, the combination With Tnownn, h ave hereunto set my hand. 5 the boom, the sheaves at or adjacent the LEE TROY WEB.

ends thereof, and the hoisting-chain passing Witnesses: over said sheaves, of a tubular guard sur HENRY HoLz,

rounding said chain and extending from one JOHN F. WILL. 

